Leadership Skills: Staying Calm

Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health. 

– Dalai Lama

Allowing stress to rule your decisions, your culture, and your life is not an effective leadership choice. There are several ways to retain composure in the face of stress, to remain calm and not be anxious. Being anxious spreads instantly to the group, even when the leader attempts to hide the anxiety.

It’s easy to tell someone to stay calm, however it’s a different matter to do it. Remaining calm is essential to effective leadership. Anxiety pushes us to reach emotionally, rather than making thinking decisions.

Here are my techniques for managing self to address my anxiety:

1. Breathe – In college, my piano teacher grabbed me in a lesson one day and said with assertiveness, “BREATHE!” I was unaware that I was so stressed out that I was holding my breath. Conquering fear and releasing tension are accomplished by breathing deeply. Be intentional with breathing deeply.
2. Break – Focus is good. Not taking a break is not good. Intentionally planning breaks is a good plan. I schedule 25-minute blocks during my work day with a 5-minute interval in between. Coaching calls are 50-minutes with a 10-minute interval. It’s nice to have that extra time when things get behind.
3. Reframe – Rather than envision what if things go to the worst case, reframe thinking to envision the best.
4. Keep a Positive Mental Attitude – The mind cannot hold a negative and positive thought simultaneously. Successful people have a positive image to focus on when anxiety looms.
5. Associate With Positive Thinkers – Positive people inspire positive thinking and acting. Hang around inspiring, positive people. It’s contagious. Hang around them and be one. You attract what you are.
6. Exercise – Move around. Sitting all day is not good for health or mental condition. Exercise helps to dissipate the effects of stress.
7. Replace the Negative Scripts – Those negative tapes playing in your head drive negative thinking and negative actions. Create positive affirmations and repeat them often.
8. Be Grateful – Express gratitude for every blessing. What you don’t have becomes less important.

I know what to do to shed the negative. I’m not always successful, but I’m not giving in to the negative. I’m rehearsing my way to success…hopefully, every day.